Each year, in the 7th week of Hilary Term, the Oxford University Rowing Clubs hold Torpids, a bumps race between boat clubs of Oxford’s constituent colleges. The regatta lasts four days, and each of the six men’s and five women’s divisions race each day. Because the river is two narrow for side-by-side racing, the boats in a given division will line up along the river, one in front of the other, with their coxswains holding onto regularly spaced “bung lines.” At the sound of a miniature cannon, the crews row furiously, trying to “bump” the crew in front before being bumped by the crew behind.
I had the pleasure of rowing in Wolfson College Boat Club‘s second men’s eight. We managed to move up four places over the course of the regatta, and so will start next year’s Torpids positioned to jump into division four.
A few pictures from intrepid Wolfson photographers:
And some pictures of Wolfson’s M2 boat by Big Blade Photography and JET Photographic:
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